Phillips Petroleum Company

Other

Senatore, Guy

Sherk, Fred T.

Nesheiwat, Afif M.

Fred T Sherk

Afif M Nesheiwat

Guy Senatore

Howard B Irvin

Donald O Hanson

James T Edmonds, Jr

Alfred A Hoffman, Jr

James W Cleary

Donald M Haskell

Lewis E Drehman

Kenneth C Hoover

Clarence G Houser

John N Scott, Jr

Joseph E Figard

James E Dick

Ronnie L Lewis

Harry B Hammer

Janet L Inkrott

C A Ayres

Jimmy M Gilbreth

Richard A Kinder

A process is provided for removing solid and liquid impurities from a particulate arylene sulfide polymer recovered from a polymerization reaction mixture slurry, without significantly discoloring the resulting washed polymer. The process of this invention comprises the steps of: (a) preparing a first slurry, wherein the solid component thereof comprises a particulate arylene sulfide polymer recovered from a reaction mixture slurry, and wherein the liquid component thereof comprises a mixture of water and a reducing agent; (b) heating the first slurry to a temperature of at least about 185.degree. C. (365.degree. F.) but below the melting point of the particulate polymer, to wash the polymer contained therein; (c) cooling the first slurry to a temperature below about 100.degree. C. (212.degree. F.), to form a second slurry, wherein the solid component thereof comprises a washed particulate arylene sulfide polymer; and (d) recovering the washed particulate arylene sulfide polymer from the second slurry.

Washing arylene sulfide polymers with water plus a reducing agent

Virgin poly(arylene sulfide) resins are oxidatively cured by heat treatment at an elevated temperature below the melting point of the resin, under an oxidizing atmosphere comprising less than a 20 volume % oxygen concentration. The resulting polymer exhibits drastically improved thermal stability with no apparent sacrifice in physical properties.

Solid state curing of poly(arylene sulfide) resins in reduced oxygen

A method for controlling the filling status of particulate solids in a solids container is provided using an apparatus comprising an empty/full indication device comprising a conduit structure, having a vertically opened upper end and a vertically opened lower end, wherein the vertically opened upper end is in open communication with the upper end portion of the solids container at the location of a predetermined full level and the vertically opened lower is in open communication with the lower end portion of the solids container at the location of a predetermined empty level. The conduit structure has a configuration such that when the level of the particulate solids being fed into the solids container reaches the predetermined full level, the particulate solids flow into the vertically opened upper end of the conduit structure by gravity through to the vertically opened lower end of the conduit structure; and, as the level of particulate solids being dispersed out of the solids container drops below the predetermined empty level, substantially of the particulate material within the conduit structure flows, by gravity, into the lower end portion of the solids container.

Empty-full indicator for solids tanks and blenders

In one embodiment, a process is provided for treating virgin poly(arylene sulfide) resins, wherein a heated polymer slurry, comprising a virgin poly(arylene sulfide) resin and water is contacted by an acidic treating solution comprising at least an acidic component, wherein the amount of the acidic component in the acidic treating solution is less than the amount necessary to result in at least a partial curing of the virgin poly(arylene sulfide) resin. In a second embodiment, the process is provided for treating a virgin poly(arylene sulfide) resin, wherein the virgin poly(arylene sulfide) resin is slurried with an aqueous acidic treating solution comprising an acidic component and an aqueous component and the concentration of the acidic component in the aqueous acidic treating solution is less than the amount necessary to result in at least a partial curing of the virgin poly(arylene sulfide) resin. The polymer slurry is then heated to an elevated temperature, below the melting point of the virgin resin, while in the substantial absence of a gaseous oxidizing atmosphere.

Acid wash of polyarylene sulfides

Poly(arylene sulfide) oligomers are recovered in a process comprising steps of:

Recovering poly(arylene sulfide) oligomers from a poly(arylene sulfide)

Method and apparatus for the separation of solid particulate polymer from liquid diluent comprising the use of one or more accumulator legs to which diluent is supplied, and separated diluent is recycled to the polymerization process.

Loop reactor settling leg system for separation of solid polymers and

Improved process for the separation of a hydrocarbon-containing feedstream comprising monomer, comonomer and diluent into separate product streams which comprises subjecting the feedstream to two-stage distillation provided with a common accumulation zone wherein the condensate from the accumulation zone serves as the source of feed for the second distillation and reflux for the first distillation. In a specific embodiment, a feed comprising ethylene, 1-hexene, and isobutane is separated into separate streams of 1-hexene, ethylene and isobutane, and isobutane for recycle to polymerization.

Monomer and diluent recovery

A process for producing alkali metal aminobutyrate or alkali metal aminobutyrate-alkali metal bisulfide complex by contacting an aqueous alkali metal hydroxide with NMP and optionally alkali metal bisulfide in a stirred reactor under reaction conditions to produce a predominantly one-phase system and maintaining these reaction conditions while passing the one-phase system through a disrupted flow tube reactor to complete the reaction. Dehydrating the reaction product in a two-stage dehydration process using a higher temperature in the second stage.

Continuous process for the production of alkali metal

Granular poly(arylene sulfide) is recovered from a slurry comprising granular poly(arylene sulfide), polar organic solvent, alkali metal halide, poly(arylene sulfide) oligomers, untreated reactants in the water by heating the slurry under conditions to evaporate polar organic solvent, water and volatile impurities at a temperature below the normal boiling point of the polar organic solvent to produce a dry mixture containing poly(arylene sulfide), poly(arylene sulfide) oligomers and alkali metal halide which is then reslurried with water to produce a reslurried mixture containing aqueous alkali metal halide solution and dispersed poly(arylene sulfide) oligomers with the reslurried mixture being filtered through a coarse screen to recover granular poly(arylene sulfide) thereon and pass a filtrate containing poly(arylene sulfide) oligomers and aqueous alkali metal halide solution therethrough. The filtrate can be further treated by filtering through a filter aid coated vacuum filter to recover poly(arylene sulfide) oligomers thereon and pass an aqueous alkali metal halide solution therethrough as filtrate.

Granular poly(arylene sulfide) recovery using evaporation

Phenol is extracted with a chlorinated aromatic extractant, such as p-dichlorobenzene, from an aqueous mixture containing phenol and N-methylpyrrolidone. In an embodiment of this invention the purified N-methylpyrrolidone is recycled for use in a poly(phenylene sulfide) polymerization process.

Purification of N-methylpyrrolidone

A polymerization process wherein a slurry of polymer and diluent is passed from the polymerization zone to a flash zone, then polymer solids having residual diluent carried thereon are passed to a purge zone wherein a heated noncombustible gas is used to remove additional amounts of diluent, and then the vapor purge zone is condensed and cooled to produce a vapor stream comprising said noncombustible gas and a liquid stream comprising diluent.

Diluent and inert gas recovery from a polymerization process

A method for producing a polymer in which lithium hydroxide, optionally also employing either lithium chloride or lithium acetate, is contacted with N-methyl-pyrrolidone in the presence of lithium halide to produce a reaction product mixture containing lithium N-methyl-4-aminobutyrate with this reaction mixture then being contacted with hydrogen sulfide and polyhalo aromatic compound in the presence of additional N-methyl-pyrrolidone under conditions to form a polymer. Lithium halide produced as a by-product is substantially recovered from the reaction mixture, converted to lithium hydroxide and can be recycled to the process.

Production of arylene sulfide polymer beads

An improved polymerization process wherein vapors from a flash zone are condensed and used as wash liquid in a polymer washing zone and optionally a sidestream from a monomer fractionation zone is also used as wash liquid.

Hydrocarbon wash liquid for catalyst separation

A novel process is disclosed for separating liquid diluent from a slurry of the diluent and a solid polymer involving the use of a first intermediate pressure flash zone and a second lower pressure flash zone.

Separation of solid polymers and liquid diluent

Arylene sulfide polymers containing ash-forming impurities or materials are purified by contacting an aqueous mixture of such polymer with molecular oxygen under conditions sufficient to reduce the ash-forming impurities and concurrently at least partially cure the polymer.

Growing community of inventors

Bartlesville, OK, United States of America

Fred T Sherk